ORLANDO, Fla., March 25, 1998 — Today marks the first day of the seventh annual Microsoft® Windows® Hardware Engineering Conference – WinHEC 98. More than 3,000 attendees, including PC hardware developers, vendors and original equipment manufacturers, are gathered to focus on the theme
“Advancing the Platform”
by launching new initiatives, standards and technologies for the Windows operating system. Microsoft Corp. is focused on working with the PC industry to advance the Windows-based PC platform in three key ways: improving customer experiences, lowering the total cost of owning PCs, and enabling new ways to use and interact with a PC.

“In the seven years of WinHEC, the PC industry has come a long way in improving the user experience, reducing cost and complexity, and providing innovative new form factors from handheld devices to servers,”
said Carl Stork, general manager of PC hardware strategy and evangelism at Microsoft.
“This year, we’re focused on delivering the exciting hardware technologies we’ve talked about before, and discussing the new technologies and innovations necessary for advancing the PC in years to come.”

Improving the End-User Experience

Microsoft is working with the PC industry to improve the quality of Windows-based PC technologies by solving the issues that cause problems today, including device driver support and compatibility with legacy devices and standards. In addition, Microsoft is committed to making PCs easier to use through improved communications, built-in intelligence and support for hardware technologies like Universal Serial Bus and Device Bay, which build on the plug-and-play technologies originally delivered in Windows 95. These improvements can greatly simplify deploying and using PCs at home and in the office.

Lowering the Total Cost of Ownership

WinHEC 98 includes information on lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO) of PCs through hardware advancements including removing legacy connections, introducing new I/O technologies for servers, and implementing Windows management initiatives like Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) and Windows Management Infrastructure and IntelliMirror
&#153;PC management technology. IntelliMirror is a set of technologies being developed in the Windows NT® operating system version 5.0 that is expected to reduce TCO by simplifying desktop administration and end-user experience, improving service quality and up-time, and tracking and managing change.

Enabling New User Scenarios – Bill Gates Keynote to Provide PC Vision

Bill Gates, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, is scheduled to deliver a keynote address on Thursday, March 26, discussing how advances in computer technology and the communication infrastructure will fundamentally change the way consumers and businesses use and benefit from personal computers. Gates will talk about his vision of the
“Web lifestyle”
and
“digital nervous system”
and explain how they apply to the PC hardware industry.

WinHEC 98 includes demonstrations from more than 100 exhibitors of the latest PC form factors, from the PalmPC based on the Microsoft Windows CE operating system to high-end servers running Windows NT Server. In addition, technology forums will focus on new usage

scenarios for PCs, including home networking, enterprise scalability, digital imaging, and PC and TV convergence.

The three-day conference runs through Friday at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. For additional information on WinHEC, visit http://www.microsoft.com/winhec/ .

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft, Windows, IntelliMirror and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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